ExtremeRavens Posted October 2 Posted October 2 Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson does not care about your parlay or his stats. But “every day,” he told The Baltimore Sun, he gets direct messages on social media from those who have a vested interest in his numbers. This week, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player apparently had enough. “We human, too,” he said Wednesday in Owings Mills. “We’re trying to win games. … not to help people’s parlay. “I don’t believe we go into games worried about stats, either. We worried about the ‘W’ column. … We don’t dwell on parlays, but I see a lot of people like to make comments in our comments section and in our [direct messages], but then when we address them in the DM they want to make it public. It is what it is. We trying to win.” Jackson added the prevalence of messages he receives over his stats and fans’ bets that are linked to them has “become a thing” since betting became more prominent in the NFL. In recent years, the league has embraced gambling through partnerships with companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel, among others. The quarterback’s response came two days after he sounded off on X and three days after the Ravens’ 35-10 blowout of the Buffalo Bills in which he attempted just 18 passes and threw for just 156 yards. “This is a “TEAM” sport I’m not out here satisfied when I threw for 300yds but took a L,” he wrote on X. “If I throw for 50 yds and we WIN, that’s wtf matters. Yall stop commenting on our socials about the yds yall fan duel or parlays ain’t hit.” Two weeks ago, Jackson threw the ball just 15 times for 182 yards in Baltimore’s 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Last season, Jackson attempted fewer than 21 passes in a game only once (Week 4 against the Browns in Cleveland, who the Ravens beat 28-3) and averaged 28.56 pass attempts per game on his way to career highs in passing yards and completion percentage. This season, he’s averaging 27 passes per game, a number that would be even lower if not for his 41 attempts in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, who never trailed after the second quarter and twice led by 10 in the second half. Since taking over as the full-time starter in 2019, Jackson has averaged fewer than 27 passes per game only twice: his 2019 MVP season and in 2020. Other oddities stand out as well. Most notable is the lack of receiving production from tight end and security blanket Mark Andrews, who has just six catches for 65 yards so far. That includes being shut out each of the past two games. “Sometimes you might not get the ball,” Jackson said. “We got all these great guys on our offense that’s helping us win games, including Mark. Mark is playing a huge role right now for us doing what he’s doing; blocking, running routes, running guys out. … He’s just being a team player right now.” It’s hard to argue with the success, particularly amid a turnaround from an 0-2 start to wins in each of the past two games, including against the previously unbeaten Bills. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Ravens have the No. 1 offense in defense-adjusted value over average and are averaging 7 yards per play. Baltimore also ranks fifth in scoring (26.5 points per game) and first in yards per game (429.5). Jackson has passed for 858 yards and five touchdowns with one interception and rushed for 308 yards and two more scores. Only eight players have a higher expected points added per play than Jackson’s mark of plus-0.17. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry leads the NFL in rushing and is fourth in the league in average yards before contact (3.84). “We’re just playing chess not checkers out there on that field,” Jackson said of the Ravens’ versatility. “That’s basically what is with our offense. … It’s hard to defend us.” Still, there’s no stopping the comments, and Jackson is hardly the only target of them. “I can definitely say [fans] go over the line with them,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman told The Sun. “Out of all the people on this team, I can promise you I have [gotten them]. I’ve dealt with all the negativity from the fans, Baltimore, fans across the world.” He added that the criticism can be difficult, and so can finding the balance between having an impact and dealing with not getting the ball. Bateman, who has just nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, said it’s a “slippery slope as a receiver, especially when you’re open.” “It’s tough,” he told The Sun. “But you have to do what’s best for the team. “We know as a receiver we’re not getting everything that we want right now. Hopefully those opportunities change.” What’s unlikely to change, however, at least for the moment, are the flood of messages. “We seen what it was the first two games,” Jackson said. “It was like ‘What are the Ravens doing? The Ravens are the worst team in the NFL.’ We were seeing all type of crap. We just win these games and it’s like ‘We’re the team to beat.’ No we just play football. “It don’t really matter, we just go out there with a winning mentality.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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